The End - Hanoi

And so, my group trip with Intrepid has come to a close today. While I have never been more sure that group trips are not right for me, I have to say that it did provide me with a great overview of the region and a lot of memorable experiences. Even though it was not exactly what I was hoping for, it was something else that I will value just as much. That being said, this photo is long overdue.

That is the group, or rather the group minus Paul and our group leader, Serey, who took this shot with my camera. This was the group that I spent two weeks in Cambodia with. After crossing into Vietnam we lost 6, then gained 6 new group members...

This picture is funny. I was off somewhere else snapping shots of something 50m or so down the road when I was called over for a group shot. It was only after this picture was taken that I realized there was a blue helmet theme...oh well. It was taken during a pit stop on our motobike tour of the Hue countryside--which was a LOT of fun.

All in all, it was a great trip with a great bunch of people. I took a lot of great pictures that I'm very happy with and I have a week left in Hanoi/Bangkok on my own to work on my last project in Asia-more on that in a week...

To speak a bit on what I have been up to this past week...

Street Games - Nha Trang, Vietnam

After Nha Trang, where we were for a day, we traveled to Hoi An, the so called "Ancient City." It should probably be called the "Garment City" as there are endless amounts of tailor, fabric and shoe shops where you can have whatever you like made just to your measurements in a matter of 1 or 2 days. Impressive, but pretty boring for me as I had no interest in a cheap tux or new pair of loafers.

Central Market - Hoi An, Vietnam

Thankfully, there was a good amount of alternative activity, including a great countryside bike ride and an afternoon at the beach (I finally caved and bought some swim trunks).

Friendly Cow - Hoi An, Vietnam

Last Harvest - Hoi An, Vietnam

After Hoi An we moved on to Hue where we took an AWESOME motobike ride through the city and parts of the surrounding countryside. Along the way, we stopped at a 400 year old covered bridge near a local market to take in the surroundings. On the bridge there was a fortune teller who dazzled all the ladies with predictions of good men, marriage and children. 

Fortune Teller - Hue, Vietnam

After a couple days in Hue, we travelled by overnight train to our final city, Hanoi. The small streets of the old city teem with life. Scooters and people are everywhere, vendors and restaurants compete for business--it can be a bit much to take it at once, but a welcome change from the subdued, civilized chaos that was Saigon.

Old Town Vendor - Hanoi, Vietnam

After a night in Hanoi, we cast off on a cruise around Halong Bay--which was absolutely stunning and more than worthy of "Wonder of the World" designation. Along the way we stopped off at one of the bigger caves within the 366 islands that make up Cat Ba National Park.

Caves - Halong Bay, Vietnam

Imperial Junk - Halong Bay, Vietnam

After our cruise, we hiked up a steep trail through dense jungle to the summit of a 300m peak, home to the forest service lookout tower. When we reached the top, the 5 first of us eagerly started up the staircase of the tower. That enthusiasm was quickly replaced by terror. The tower, while solid and stable, was covered in rust. The whole time it felt as if I was climbing a giant rusted tree, on the top of a very high, very remote, mountain. 

It was a battle with my mind all the way to the top and once we reached the platform, it didn't get any easier: the top platform consisted of planks of wood laying, un-fastened, across the metal skeleton of the structure. It was scary as hell for the first 5 minutes I was up there, then I got used to it...just in time to go down. Every corner, like the one below, made your eyes pop out of your head and your stomach churn a little.

Long Way Down - Cat Ba Island, Vietnam

When we finally made it to the bottom, a wave of relief watched over me, the adrenaline subsided and was replaced by a immense feeling of accomplishment and happiness--it was worth the mental battle.

"Solid As A Rock" - Cat Ba Island, Vietnam

After all that and a night on the island, we spent this morning kayaking around the islands of Halong Bay(pics coming soon) before it was back to Hanoi for our last night of the trip. 

Currently, my uploader program for Flickr is giving me all kinds of trouble so I'll have to wait to post the rest of my photos from the past couple weeks--just know that there are many, many more on the way soon.

Tomorrow, its out of the hotels and back to the hostels for 2 nights in Hanoi before heading back to Bangkok and then to Spain and Morocco!

Stay Tuned.